Stuntman

Have you got what it takes?

Masters of destruction and all things automobile, the Newcastle, England-based developer Reflections has been wowing audiences since before the original launch of the PlayStation in 1994. Creators of the never forgotten series of Destruction Derby titles and parents to the mega-popular Driver series, Reflections has proven on more than one occasion that they have what it takes to create a damn fine crashing game experience. With their latest offering, the much awaited Stuntman, the European masterminds may very well have put together its greatest product since the Amiga hit, Shadow of the Beast.

It's funny really, as Stuntman could best be described as the crasis of Reflection's two aforementioned PSOne smashes, Destruction Derby and Driver. Borrowing a healthy dose of wrecks, bumps, and explosions from the former and combining it with the speed, attitude, and zany Euro-feel of the latter, Stuntman when analyzed, is the obvious natural progression for the developer.

FEATURES The premise itself is one that has never really been done before, and is without a doubt oe of the most ingenious ideas for car mayhem that I've heard since Twisted Metal. Placed in the role of an expert stunt driver, your character has been hired to perform a myriad of difficult racing scenes throughout various films on a quest to become rich and famous. After granting a quick interview to a news crew or documentary team (or whatever they are) before every scene to explain what his next mission is, our protagonist is on his way to the history books as he bobs, weaves, and smashes into anything the director tells him.

On its own, such a plot device would normally lend its appeal to the State of Emergency crowd. Allowing for 30 to 60 minutes of raucous gameplay before eventually allowing boredom to interfere and ultimately create a terribly regretful purchase. Fortunately, Stuntman has found plenty of clever ways around the "Stale Trap" you would expect, and turns out to be an enjoyable experience all the way around.

To start, there are multiple reasons the game gives you to do well. As not only will a successful run through the set give you permission to move on to the next stunt or movie, it will also unlock hidden obstacles and cars for use in other modes. Combined with a score-based money winning system (and a stat page that will keep track of such things), finding a "motivation" to make it through the scene as cleanly as possible isn't too difficult.

There's also a built-in real-time movie recorder, which allows the gamer to film their entire go at a course and view it when they're finished via multiple cinematic camera angles (which you can then save to the memory card and watch over and over again until the end of time). Trying to outdo yourself, even after completing entire movies and having the documentation to back it up can make for some addicting sessions, and before you know it hours of your day will disappear in a plume of smoke.

The best reason to kick ass however, has to be the trailers you receive at the end of each movie. Using pre-rendered full-motion video in conjunction with the recording of your in-game performance, Stuntman will actually create a Hollywood quality teaser to reward you for your accomplishments. A fulfilling emotion to say the least, Checking out a two-minute long flick based on what you just did from dusk 'till dawn is more than worth it.

Once you've had your fill of career mode and are done making movies, you can travel back to the menu screen and play through multiple driving games as well. Boasting Timing Runs, Precision Racing, and other similar modes to hone your steering skill, jumping into a quick game that doesn't require you to make a movie makes for some quickly satisfying pleasure jaunts. There's even a Stunt Constructor that allows you to build your own stunt tracks to mess around with and a bunch of DVD videos that include interviews, trailers, credits, and more; all in all, a great collection of distractions to keep you gaming for weeks.

GAMEPLAY Playing through that game however, could prove a tad frustrating for less patient gamers. Similar in many respects to games like Reflections own Driver and Namco's Ridge Racer, the basic sparse-button configuration is easy to learn but difficult to master. While you'll quickly get the hang of the basics like Braking, E-Braking, and Accelerating in no time, the sensitive steering could have you gnashing your teeth in disbelief the first few hours in.

Not that it's a poor control scheme, not at all, but to convey the feeling that you're in an out of control muscle car to the best of its ability, Reflections added a bit of that "out of control" element to making turns and maneuvering past obstacles. Making slight adjustments and tweaks for every automobile in the game (of which there are many; in upwards of 20) and throwing different requirements and pathways at you with every new stage, only adds to the difficulty. And almost succeeds in creating a perpetual learning curve that doesn't end until you've beaten the game.

In a way, that's part of what makes playing through Stuntman so great: The constant need to adapt. Never a game to keep you resting on your laurels, the forever transforming requirements promotes attentiveness and determination. Just because you blazed through the first stage of "Whoopin' and Hollerin'" without a hitch, it doesn't mean that you'll make it through "Toothless in Wapping" just as easily. A difficult game to be sure, expect to spend half an hour (or perhaps even more) on a single stunt, and then having to do it all over again immediately following.

But Stuntman is far from perfect, and often times drove us nuts with its insane load times. An increasingly prevalent problem with PlayStation 2 videogames lately, the aching disc processing needs nearly a full minute before finally booting up the interview screen where your alter ego explains his purpose for the next stage. Once that screen is done with however, it's back to the loading screen again to get to the gameplay (around half a minute or slightly more for that one), and if you fail in your initial attempt, another 20 seconds of loading to put up with while the stage re-spawns. Ouch.

Speaking of the explanation of what to do before each stage, they should have been more detailed. While the director does a fairly good job of telling you when to move and how to get the best possible shot for his movie, they are extremely vague in other instances, creating a frustrating period of trial and error that focuses not on becoming a better racer, but what to do next. Not a difficulty that rears its head in every stage, but one that could have been addressed in a more informational manner (perhaps in the form of story boards on the loading screen that gave a brief synopsis of what stunts were needed for that course).

Squabbles aside, Stuntman is still immeasurably playable and has enough of the goods in the right department to nudge us into overlooking the terrible load time and occasionally confusing track design; a rare feat to behold indeed.